Not-quite-daily news and musings from the editor of Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

I'm Leaving CWIM...

Dear Readers,

This is a tough post to write. I'm officially announcing that as of April 30th I'll no longer be editor of Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market. For a number of reasons I've decided it's time for me to leave my job at F+W Media after more than 18 years.

In the days before I depart I'll be offering a little CWIM nostalgia. Today I'm pulling from the 1989 CWIM. Connie Eidenier was editor of this debut edition which was well under 200 pages (less than half the size of the current edition) and included two articles and a handful markets sections. (Note: In 1989 is was in my third year of college. I wrote my papers on a electric typewriter.)

Here is some information about the state of children's publishing Connie offered in her "From the Editor" in the 1989 CWIM:

"Children's books and magazines have become a viable force in today's publishing industry thanks to growing interest from parents, teachers and librarians eager to see today's youth develop an interest in reading. According to a December, 1988, issue of Newsweek, more than 4,600 children's books were published in 1987: This is a 50 percent growth over 1978 statistics. In this same article it was reported that publishers sold $334 million in hardcover books in 1987 (compared to $136 million in 1977), and $150 million in paperbacks (compared to $26 million a decade ago.)

The growth in this very specialized segment of the publishing industry is particularly evident in the enthusiasm with which editors are seeking ideas for picture books and stories, young and middle readers, and young adult material. Here at Writer's Digest Books, we've been closely monitoring this growth and decided the time had come to compile a market directory listing the needs of the children's book and magazine industry. How appropriate that our first edition of Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Marketcomes out in 1989--TheYear of the Young Reader as designated by the Library of Congress."

You've done an amazing job with the CWIM, and I'm sure whatever is coming next will be just as awesome. I hope you stay involved with kid lit in some aspect, but best of luck for whatever adventure is coming next.

I had to double check the date to make sure this wasn't an April Fools joke. It's been a pleasure reading CWIM over the years, and writing for a few issues, too! I wish you well in whatever you've got coming up.

Seems odd, to me, that I haven't responded to Alice's bombshell -- until now. Alice, and the CWIM have been a favorite part of my writing life since I first wrote for her in 1997. Year after year, she gave me the chance to capture moments in kids lit history, and each assignment was nothing short of cherished.

I hate that she'll no longer be at the CWIM helm, because I trust her expertise and insight so completely. But I know she'll guide the replacement well, and I know if she had to leave, she had good reason. I trust those instincts, too.

I wish you nothing but miracles, Alice. You deserve everything your heart desires. You've given your all to his work for a long, long time. I know your whole heart will be in whatever is next on your professional horizon.

If I can ever be of help, know that my friendship goes beyond the work we did together. I'm here if you need me, for another 10 or 12 years, at least.

I really liked your article. My name is Vince Stead, and I wrote a kid's book called "The Back Yard Kids Club" that you can find as a book at regular price, or as a digital download for only $2.99, and great for kids to learn how to download it to a device. You can see the link to Barnes & Noble or Amazon here:

I really liked your article. My name is Vince Stead, and I wrote a kid's book called "The Back Yard Kids Club" that you can find as a book at regular price, or as a digital download for only $2.99, and great for kids to learn how to download it to a device. You can see the link to Barnes & Noble or Amazon here: